Suspects may face 126 counts of vandalism in Worcester

WORCESTER — Prosecutors are taking steps to try to hold two Leicester men accountable for more than 100 instances of vandalism reported in the city in late 2013.

The co-defendants, Danny Nguyen, 21, of 7 North Court, and Jesse Damelio, 20, of 155 Peter Salem Road, pleaded not guilty to six counts of vandalism in Central District Court on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutor Brett Dillon requested the judge hold each man on $10,000 cash bail. He said a continuing investigation would link them to 126 counts of vandalism in the city and result in further charges.

Mr. Damelio's lawyer, H. Hoover Garabedian, said it was premature to bring up such allegations while the investigation is not yet complete, referencing the Fourth Amendment during the arraignment. He accused the prosecutor of exaggerating the charges and questioned the evidence investigators have gathered about his client.

Speaking later to a reporter, Mr. Garabedian wondered why, if his client was a suspect back in October, an arrest wasn't made sooner.

Mr. Nguyen was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail, and Mr. Damelio on $1,000 cash bail. If they post bail, the men were ordered to stay away from the places they allegedly vandalized. The judge warned that if they were arrested again, they would face jail time.

According to their lawyers, both men live with their families and work as line cooks at a Worcester restaurant.

In late December, Mr. Nguyen and another man were spotted by police allegedly spray-painting graffiti on the side of the State Liquor Exchange building on Park Avenue.

Mr. Nguyen was arrested and charged with vandalizing property, trespassing and carrying a dangerous weapon (a butterfly knife). He identified the other man, who ran away, as Mr. Damelio, police wrote in the statement of facts with the case.

While Mr. Nguyen was previously arraigned, he and Mr. Damelio were brought in on a new warrant Monday to face the additional charges stemming from the investigation, police wrote in a statement.

Court records describe other evidence, including surveillance footage that allegedly captured the two men vandalizing property at 2 Oliver St. on the same night Mr. Nguyen was arrested.

Police said the graffiti on Park Avenue, reading "Chino" and "Skope," matched vandalism at several other locations.

On Oct. 22, a witness reported four men spray-painting truck trailers at 60 Webster St., in which one of the men fled in a red 1999 Saturn sedan registered to Mr. Damelio, police wrote in the statement of facts.

Police have not said if there are other suspects.

Mr. Nguyen was previously arrested in June for allegedly tagging property in Worcester with a blue marker and ordered to pay $200 restitution to the city. The case was then dismissed.

Both men's cases were continued Monday to Feb. 18.

Contact Alli Knothe at aknothe@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @KnotheA